Why Google says your Shopify shipping policy is missing, and how to fix it
Missing shipping errors on Shopify usually come from custom shipping profiles, a missing shipping zone, or no shipping page on the store. Here is how to check.
The short answer
Google needs shipping costs in two places: in Merchant Center, so it can show a delivery price next to your product, and on your store, so shoppers can read them before checkout. On Shopify, the Merchant Center side usually breaks because the Google & YouTube app only imports rates from your General shipping profile. Move the rates there or set them up by hand in Merchant Center, and publish a shipping policy page.
Which problem do you have?
"Shipping policy missing" can mean two different things, and the fix is different for each.
- Products disapproved for shipping. Merchant Center shows an item-level issue such as Missing shipping costs. Google says these products "will remain disapproved until you provide a shipping cost for the item."
- Account flagged for the store itself. Merchant Center flags the website, for example Website needs improvement, which Google describes with examples including "missing policy pages". Misrepresentation can also cite hidden shipping costs.
Check the Needs attention tab under Products to see which one you are dealing with. Many stores have both.
Fix 1: get shipping rates into Merchant Center
Use the General profile
Google's guide to shipping for Shopify users says: "Only shipping rates in your General shipping profile can sync to Google Merchant Center." It adds that rates "will sync incorrectly with Google Merchant Center and cause errors if you use custom shipping profiles." Shopify's channel requirements say the same.
If you created a custom profile for heavy items, a supplier, or free shipping on some products, those rates do not reach Google through the app.
Turn on automatic import
In the Google & YouTube app, open Settings. In the Product feed section, open the shipping settings and choose Automatically import shipping information. Google and Shopify word this step a little differently, so look for the shipping option in that section. Automatic import needs a shipping zone in your General profile for each country you target.
Check your shipping app
Google's guide says that if you use a third-party shipping plugin, confirm its settings sync with Merchant Center. If they don't, set rates manually in Merchant Center. A Shopify Community thread describes a store using a calculated-rates app whose shipping stopped reaching Merchant Center, with no confirmed fix in the thread. If you rely on carrier-calculated or app-calculated rates, plan for the manual route.
Or set shipping up in Merchant Center by hand
In Merchant Center, go to Shipping and returns under "Products & store", open the Shipping policies tab and select Add shipping policy, per Google's shipping settings guide. Choose countries, products, delivery times and costs. Google says the costs "should be as close as possible to the costs on your online store" and, if you can't match exactly, to slightly overestimate. Its Shopify guide is stricter: the costs "must match the costs you charge on your Shopify store."
Two catches. Google's Shopify guide warns that Shopify or other API updates may overwrite manual changes. And in the app's shipping settings, Shopify's requirements page says to choose Manually set up shipping settings in Google Merchant Center if you go this way.
If you need different rates for different products, one merchant posted a workaround in the Shopify Community: tag products with a custom label in the Google & YouTube app, then create Merchant Center shipping policies that apply only to products with that label. It is a forum post, not official guidance, but it worked for that poster.
Google says changes can take 24 to 72 hours to show.
Fix 2: publish a shipping policy page
In Shopify, go to Settings > Policies. Shopify's policy guide says the shipping policy can be automated from your store settings. If you write it yourself, turn off Use automated policy and fill it in. Once saved, it lives at /policies/shipping-policy.
Then add it to your footer menu under Content > Menus. Shopify links policies in the checkout footer automatically, but that is too late for a shopper on a product page and for Google's reviewer.
The page should state:
- Which countries you ship to.
- The cost, or how it is calculated, and any free shipping threshold.
- Handling time and delivery time.
- Where orders ship from, if that differs from where your business is based.
The last point matters. Google's misrepresentation policy names misrepresenting where items ship from to suggest local stock or fast delivery. If your products ship from overseas, say so and give realistic delivery times.
Make the three agree
Google's list of shipping issues includes "Inaccurate shipping costs", for when the feed and your checkout disagree. So compare three numbers for one product to one country: the rate on your shipping policy page, the rate in Merchant Center, and the rate at checkout. If any one differs, fix that one first.
At the time of writing (November 2026), the menu names above match Google's and Shopify's help pages. Both admins change often, so labels may differ in your account.
For the full set of store pages Google looks for, see the refund, shipping and contact pages Google expects.